Kurt Jackson

Kurt Jackson (1961-present)

A British painter whose large canvases reflect a concern with natural history, ecology and environmental issues.

The majority of Jackson’s work reflects his commitment to the environment and the natural world within Cornwall, although he also works elsewhere in Britain and mainland Europe; recent projects include bodies of work on theThames, the Avon, the Forth, Ardnamurchan and the Glastonbury Festival series. His paintings frequently carry small commentaries on the scene depicted and show a fascination particularly with the detail of plants and animals within an overall ecology and evoke a calm, spiritual and warm relationship with the landscape, even of apparently bleak scenes.

Biography

Born in Blandford, Dorset, he developed an early interest in natural history and landscape. He studied zoology atSt Peter’s College, Oxford, but spent most of his time attending classes at The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art or painting in the countryside around Oxford. In 1984 he and his wife Caroline Jackson moved to Cornwall; currently he lives and works near St Just,Penwith.

He has been Artist in Residence on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, at the Eden Project and at Glastonbury Festival since 1999. He has an Honorary Doctorate (DLitt) from Exeter University and is an Honorary Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford University. He is an ambassador for Survival International and frequently works with Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WaterAid, Oxfam, Surfers Against Sewage andCornwall Wildlife Trust. He is an academician of the Royal West of England Academy.

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Landscape portfolio

2017. Hard ground etching with Hawthorne inks on cartridge paper.

Neither verticals nor horizontals correspond to thirds lines. Balance is achieved here through the echoing of cshapes in a different tone – the light rectangle on the left with the blue rectangle of the right, and the curve of the dark shape on the left with the curve of the white ‘windonw’ at the back on the left.

Dark is printed upside down and very dark. Higher contrast between the dark and mid-tone makes the front shapes look interestingly as if they are flying in 3D. This effect is more pronounced than in the blue and red equivalents of this image because the green is lighter and cooler. These are also fewer ditracting texture lines in the centre. The image is very strangely balanced by the diagonal lines. The total area of dark on right and left is roughly the same.

Part of the series of overlapped inverted prints. This looks like a dynamic mountain ski scene. I like the varying overlapping textures. There is a rough balancing of colours and tones down the vertical middle of the image. Further balance is achieved through the echoing of shapes.

Monochrome print overprinted with the dark tone upside down. This makes a better print than the green because the contrast between the blues and the cream paper is less. So it looks more natural. Although there is not clerar repetition of shapes, the dark tones became balanced through the inversion.